On my most recent visit to SoBro Cafe the staff recognized what was vegan and what was not and were sure to accommodate us, which was a pleasantry we hadn’t had before. Although I was initially super bummed last week to learn the items I thought were vegan weren’t vegan, I am really excited and encouraged that the restaurant has realized the need to accommodate to vegans and wants*** to have more options. I am impressed that the staff has become educated on the vegan options and the management really wants to support Indianapolis veg*ns!

 ***SUPER NEWS: I spoke with the manager and we are arranging a meeting to discuss incorporating more vegan options onto the menu; as well as ways to signify what is vegan-friendly on the menu!***

Indy Vegans is having a Spring Break Potluck on March 10th at 3pm. The Hazel’s are opening their home for the event at 42nd and Sherman. Bring a vegan dish to share. Everyone is invited and it’s free!

Bring your own plate & utensils if you can; if not, we will have plenty to supply for you. We sure hope you can make it!

Let us know if you have any questions or need a ride. Join the Facebook event here: http://www.facebook.com/events/314724981918544/ to discuss recipes and invite other friends! Hope you see you next week!

The outside of the establishment is extraordinarily inviting; it’s colorful, quaint, and fresh. Upon walking inside, you will find a bustling cafe with cute and eclectic design, and friendly staff. The first time I went inside, I was only planning to drink an iced tea and do some work, but after being offered a menu, I couldn’t resist trying the food too!

SoBro Cafe focuses on healthy homemade food that is internationally-inspired, but made from scratch right in the kitchen (save for the bread and sweet potato fries – even the ketchup is house-made!). Dishes are creative, presented well, and quite tasty! SoBro also features local beers, special wines, and displays local art that you can purchase on the spot!

On my first visit I got the Venice Bench sandwich, which I’ve been craving ever since. Wheat bread is spread with hummus, then piled high with avocado, sprouts, lettuce, cucumber, and tomato. It was outstanding! The Veggie Grill sandwich is also offered during lunch, it’s made with tempeh, broccoli, mushroom, zucchini, spinach, and tahini (just be sure to forgo the goat cheese). The sandwiches also come with homemade potato chips!

After my first visit, I expressed my rave review to Nathaniel, who then was determined to try SoBro. We went on a Saturday for brunch, because they have vegan biscuits and gravy!!! It was much different than I expected, but it was absolutely delicious. Halved biscuits, piled with some veggies and mushroom gravy, the result was heavenly. I would also suggest trying their Impeccable Chai, it’s home-made with black tea, infused with a myriad of spices, and mixed with soy milk. It’s extremely tasty.

Since there was still one meal of the day we hadn’t tried, tonight we went back for dinner. We both got the Peanut Sauce Temptation along with a side salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette; each dinner entree comes with a side salad. Again, it was great!

Other vegan options include:

• BBQ Lentils, just substitute rice for mashed potatoes
• Sometimes their Soup of the Day, like the Minestrone, is vegan
• There’s a veggie burger, The Good Burger, and it looks fantastic, but I haven’t asked if it’s vegan or not yet.

SoBro Cafe is definitely worth visiting. Times and location are listed here:

Visit their website by clicking here to view the menu and plan your trip to this highly recommended establishment, SoBro Cafe.

We are so stoked that you are interested in helping us create a vegan community within Indianapolis.  In the past we have made extensive (READ: frighteningly long) lists of how you can get involved with Indy Vegans.  This time around we’ll keep it simple.

We need you to help with the two main parts of Indy Vegans, events and the blog; your level of commitment is decided upon how much you want to get involved.

Starting off with the events, we are looking for people who want to help get vegans to meet other vegans in the city.  This could be as simple as picking a date and time to meet up at a certain vegan-friendly restaurant. Design a flyer, or we will, and together we can put it on the blog and facebook! Another way is a potluck! A potluck is a fun way for vegans to show off their skills in a more intimate setting. There is a bit more legwork involved in setting potlucks up, but they bring great reward – you must find a space, invite people, and figure out the dishes/seating logistics, but it’s super fun! This just in: A lovely couple has offered to have a potluck at their house – so we can plan one soon!

The blog/website is also a great way to get involved.  We are looking for people who want to write about veganism (/veganism as relevant to Indianapolis). You could write about your favorite restaurant in Indy, a place that recently started offering vegan options, review vegan products, whatever you’d like! You can write weekly or whenever works with your schedule. Let us know what you are thinking and we will set you up with a WordPress account and talk about a few guidelines for posts.

All in all we are just vegans trying to have fun in a city that keeps getting more vegan-friendly.

Write us at gnat@indyvegans.com or bridget@indyvegans.com and let us know what you are thinking and we’ll help you get on board! Thanks for your support and willingness to serve the vegans in your community!

Some diners at Passage to India

Everything at the restaurant is vegetarian! The service is pretty outstanding. The waitstaff are super nice and accommodating. There are always vegan options at the buffet and on the menu. The naan they bring to the table has diary, so just tell them you are vegan and they will bring you vegan naan and dosas to your table AND they will take you up to the buffet and show you which items are vegan! On the menu, vegan items are marked as such. 

The prices are super reasonable too. Correct me if I’m wrong, but if I recall the buffet is $6.99 during the week and $7.99 on the weekends. The atmosphere is great. It’s a pretty big space so depending when you go, there won’t be a wait! Overall, it’s a fantastic experience and I highly encourage you to visit.

Insider info: We are going to try to arrange a meetup here in the near future. So look out for info on that!

It’s located on 4225 Lafayette Rd. on the near west side. I’ve heard conflicting times about what their hours are, but here’s what I have for now:

• Monday: Closed
• Tuesday – Thursday: Lunch: 11:30am – 2:30pm
  Dinner: 5:30pm – 9:30pm
• Friday – Sunday: Lunch: 11:30am – 3:00pm
  Dinner: 5:30pm – 10:00pm

Nathaniel and Bridget at Bridget's graduation from IU!

In case you hadn’t noticed Indy Vegans took almost a two month hiatus. During that time, I (Bridget), have graduated from college and temporarily relocated to Indianapolis and Nathaniel got a job working full-time at the Whole Foods on 86th St.

We’re going to try to start posting more diligently again and have some more meet-ups and another potluck! If you’re interested in volunteering, offering your home or office for an event, or just have questions for us, please shoot us an e-mail at nathaniel@indyvegans.com or bridget@indyvegans.com.

Thanks for your continued support, Indy Vegans!

Killer Tofu Catering

We’ve mentioned how great Killer Tofu is before, but it’s time to remind you again. Killer Tofu is a personal chef and small party catering service fronted by Ian Phillips, located right here in Indianapolis. If you were able to attend Veg Fest this past year, you will recall Killer Tofu’s fantastic layout. If you haven’t tried this food yet, you still have a chance! If you are having a small party or special event, please consider this outstanding service. You aren’t having a party and still want to try this food? You’re in luck.

Killer Tofu’s Seitan High-Fives are now being offered at Indy Food Co-Op/Pogue’s Run Grocer’s! Check the frozen section for this great treat! Additionally, the Sinking Ship in Broad Ripple is going to start serving Seitan High Fives shortly after the superbowl. So keep that on your radar!

Occasionally Ian teaches classes at the Whole Foods in Carmel as well, so like their Facebook page so you can be updated on those events too. You can also check out Killer Tofu’s website to see drool over pictures of food and view sample menus.

This past weekend I went to Ian and his wife’s house with a few friends for a Killer Tofu brunch. Let me tell you, it was incredible. The tofu scramble was one of the best I’ve ever had – and often I don’t even care for tofu scram! The biscuits and gravy were insanely good. The gravy was certainly the tastiest I’ve ever had. There were special scones, pancakes, delightful coffee cake, and more! It really was fantastic food and a wonderful time of communion with fellow Indy residents. So what I’m trying to say is, if you get a chance to hire Killer Tofu, take a class, or buy Seitan High Fives, you should.

We are super excited! We just got a big box in the mail from the great people who make our favorite Tofurky products. They’ve hooked us up with: 

• Multiple tofurkys!
• Tons of pins, stickers, and pamphlets on their philosophy
• and they have blessed us with a bunch of coupons for 55cents off any Tofurky product!  Oh boy!

This is the only kind of turkeys I'll eat!

Just some reminders: bring a dish with 4 servings, otherwise it will cost $10. (If you can’t manage either, you are still very welcome!) This is a family-friendly event so bring whomever you’d like! We are hoping to accommodate all kinds of vegans, from raw to gluten-free. If you want to label your foods and their ingredients, that would be appreciated, but if you forget, no problem!

I know I slept on this but if you could bring your own plate and utensils that would be great!  We aren’t just vegan, we also love the environment and the environment hates cheap disposable plates, cups, and plastic utensils.  If you can’t bring your own plate and utensils, we will still have enough to accommodate everyone. Also if you have any folding tables, feel free to load one in your car, it is uncertain how many people are coming out so anything can help just in case.

Besides that make sure you thank Phil for letting us use the space and anyone that helped make it a rad potluck! Can’t wait to see everyone and eat awesome food tomorrow! Yay!

Mmmm!

Nathaniel and I have gone for Mellow Mushroom twice now, just to make sure the first time wasn’t a fluke. The pizza is good. They have other menu items like hoagies, salads, and calzones, but like I said.. we really like pizza. Not only do they have pizza, but they have a lot of vegan options for their pizza! Mellow Mushroom offers Daiya cheese, tofu, jerk tofu, tempeh, BBQ tofu, and the whole gamut of (fruits &) veggies from sun-dried tomatoes to artichoke hearts to roasted red peppers  and spinach. I’m salivating just thinking about it. They also have a variety of beers, appetizers (including a hummus plate), AND they have a gluten-free crust and gluten-free menu!

The first time we went to Mellow Mushroom we got a pizza with red sauce, broccoli, onion, and half with jerk tofu and half with tempeh. The next time we got a pizza with red sauce, Daiya (surprisingly well melted!), tofu, broccoli, spinach, and sun-dried tomatoes. Both time were super – especially the second pizza. It was insanely delicious. The establishment has a lot of seating so you get a table immediately, the atmosphere is upbeat, and it’s very family friendly. I would highly recommend eating at Mellow Mushroom, even if it’s a little bit out of the way on 116th St. in Carmel.

Killer Tofu Facebook